Jamshedpur, Feb. 2: Agitated members of the state Youth Congress gheraoed the residence of the food and public distribution minister Saryu Rai in Ranchi on Tuesday demanding that corruption and rigging in public distribution system (PDS) in the state be stopped.
According to Rakesh Sahu, vice-president of Jamshedpur Lok Sabha Yuva Congress Committee, the party workers and activists of Jharkhand State Yuva Congress headed by Harish Pawar and Deepak Mishra assembled near City Centre Complex in Ranchi and headed to the minister’s residence in the form of rally.
Akhilesh Mishra, Kamlesh Sao, Amit Tripathy, Manoj Sao, Suraj Prasad, Shrawan Saab and others from Jamshedpur Yuva Congress were present.
On the other hand, Saryu Rai, through a press communiqué, informed that he waited for the Yuva Congress workers till 2 p.m. and when they did not arrive, he left for his office. When he arrived at his office he came to know that around 50 Congressmen came near his house shouting slogans and the minister returned to his house around 2.55 p.m.; till then the Congressmen had put off their protest.
Rai met some of the party workers and asked them the reason behind the protest, but the Congressmen neither responded in written nor spoke about the matter, according to a press communiqué issued by the minister. It further stated that Rai again invited the Congress workers to his house.
Saryu Rai further said that he is to talk to the Opposition on any issue on any day and added that the protestors should have given suggestions, which would have benefited him. Rai appreciated the conduct of the protest.